posted
Deep breath... Ok, after spending all afternoon & looking at another 4+ hours sandblasting a 18" x 14" sheet of Lassica (similar to Corian)(my first job) I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong.
I'm using a big old '57 Devilbiss compressor at 100-120, a homemade Blaster from a Tip Tools Kit & some 170 grit crushed glass I got at Grainger. What could it be?
Also, where can I get some high power blasting equipment? I remember someone posting about their awesome gear but didn't respond when I asked where I could get something like that. Bummer. Anyway enough whining. Thanks in advance all!
------------------ Marcano-Welch Signs Luquillo, Puerto Rico 787-889-6608
Posts: 2274 | From: Luquillo, Puerto Rico, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Felix..You didn't mention what the actual problem is.
What the heck is Lassica and what is Corian?
Sandblasting ANYTHING that is 18"x14" fer all afternoon and another 4 hours would mean it is made out of steel that is 3" thick!..And if you can last that long.....You DON'T need high powered blasting equipment..you need a cold beer! OR maybe 6 beers!
------------------ Dave Grundy AKA "applicator" on mIRC "stickin' sticky stuff to valuable vessels and vehicles!" in Granton, Ontario, Canada 1-519-225-2634 dave.grundy@quadro.net www.quadro.net/~shirley
posted
Make sure the grit is spraying out at a good volume. You need more than air and a little grit. You need lots of grit at high velocity. You should have a heavy flow that really tears into the substrate. It takes a while to get everything adjusted right for maximum blasting rates.
ernie
------------------ Balch Signs 1045 Raymond Rd Ballston Spa, NY 12020 Wholesale Routing
posted
Felix, I'm not sure what crushed glass is, but if it's anything like glass beads it won't cut, it just pulverizes. It's more for things like removing paint on autos. If is is sharp like sand it might work ok. I generally use aluminum oxide. about 35 dollars US per bag, but cuts well. Corion is a unique material in the sense that it is hard like marble when cold, but like rubber when heated to higher temps. This is how they bend the stuff and form circles, kind of like plastic. If this is the case the heat from the blasting action maybe making the material turn into a resist itself. Plexiglass will blast, but not deep or very well because of this same problem This is just a guess, but something to consider. It is probably lack of size of your system or incorrect cutting media. If you have a rental store there you might be able to rent a larger unit, but usually you can get a grave monument company to blast for about 20 bucks on an item like that. Bronzeo
posted
Thanks Guys, & thanks Jack. Yes, it IS glass beads (I always say crushed glass thinking of smalts, sorry) I will consider getting some aluminum oxide.
------------------ Marcano-Welch Signs Luquillo, Puerto Rico 787-889-6608
Posts: 2274 | From: Luquillo, Puerto Rico, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Corian is "solid surface material" used for countertops. Its more expensive than high pressure laminate, but cheaper than granite.
Felix,
If you are going too blast Corian quickly and efficiently, you may want to look into using "Black Beauty" silica carbide. It will cut the Corian faster than regular silica (sand) and is reusable. The only drawback is that the stuff isn't cheap.
Also, by using silica carbide, you can drop your pressure down to 90psi, thereby lowering your risk of burning the rubber mask. It'll also help your compressor to keep up.
posted
If your gonna use silica sand and not blasting it in a cabinet you should wear a resperator and of course a hood. Ive heard anything with silica in it can cause cancer, and sandblasting with it makes a lot of fine dust I wouldnt want to breathe. I dont know how much it takes to be dangerous, but its worth wearing a resperator, not just a dust mask.
posted
Sorry folks silica won't cut it either,fine brown sand (20/50 grit)will cut anything and cut it fast ...even fine detail work.Leaves a nice smooth texture and costs about 4.50 a bag. I guarantee you it'will do all you want to do in 15 minutes (with a commercial rig)maybe 30 min with a cabinet...and a little longer with a gravity feed (home & hobby)unit .
"Werks fer me it'll werk fer you"
The price is right for the sand so try it before you go to the expense of the more exotic materials like "black beauty"
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
[This message has been edited by Monte Jumper (edited April 20, 2001).]
posted
Thanks for all your responses guys. honestly I'd be afraid of using silica because of my shop being in my backyard. Monte, about the sand, if its the regular beach sand used for plaster (found at any hardware store) I might have a problem. They just bag it up & leave it out in the rain. Thanks again. I'm gonna call a few places today since I gotta go to the metro area today anyway.
------------------ Marcano-Welch Signs Luquillo, Puerto Rico 787-889-6608
Posts: 2274 | From: Luquillo, Puerto Rico, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
I just noticed where you are Felix...We're noi talkin beach sand here but I don't know if you have any sand blast suppliers where you are my guess would be something in a naval yard.
good luck...hope you give the sand a try...it'll work
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
posted
Felix/Other Blasters, When you are buying sand of almost any type, you are purchasing silica. It is not just in white silica sand. An explanation and definition by the US Labor Board is posted below. Silicosis is caused by the heavy quartz getting inhaled and settling to the bottom of your lungs where it resides for the rest of your life. Probably every one of us have traces, if not measurable amounts of it from general dust as quartz resides there also at times. Sandblasting helps you to accumulate larger amounts of it. Siicosis is a condition that follows from your body trying to fight it off. Proper clean ventilation equiptment is the answer. (the report) SILICA DUST EXPOSURES CAN CAUSE SILICOSIS Every year two million workers in the U.S. are exposed to crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis, a disabling and sometimes fatal disease. About 300 deaths are attributed to silicosis annually. Inhaling airborne crystalline silica dust also has been associated with other diseases such as tuberculosis and lung cancer.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is determined to reduce the potential threat of silicosis. Crystalline silica has been identified as a priority rulemaking action. In the meantime, OSHA is conducting a national special emphasis program on silicosis to inform employers and employees about the occurrence and hazards of crystalline silica and ways to reduce exposure to the dust. The 25 states and territories that operate their own occupational safety and health programs have been encouraged to launch similar special emphasis activities on silicosis.
Crystalline silica, also known as quartz, is a natural compound in the earth's crust and is a basic component of sand and granite. Silicosis is a disease of the lungs caused by breathing dust containing crystalline silica particles. The dust can cause fibrosis or scar tissue formations in the lungs that reduce the lungs' ability to work to extract oxygen from the air. There is no cure for this disease, thus prevention is the only answer.
posted
Black Beauty is made from ground-up coal slag. I would guess its cutting abilities are more like that of glass beads than silica. It is neither expensive nor particularly exotic. I bought a 90lb bag from an auto paint supplier for about $15, not for blasting but to use as black smalt.
Speaking of silica, one of the East coast's only sources is Lantern Hill, in Ledyard, Ct. about twenty minutes from my shop. Lantern Hill is one of those geologic oddities, a 700 ft. hill composed of solid white quartz. At a casual glance it looks no different from any other wooded hillside around here, until you see the quarry that U.S. Silica dug on its western slope - under a thin layer of eroded soil, it is pure white quartz. The Pequot Indians bought Lantern Hill from U.S.Silica a couple years ago and shut down the quarry - they make all the money they need from their own casino, Foxwoods, about a half mile away.
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
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